British online fashion retailer ASOS has appointed stylist Law Roach as its first “Stylist in Residence.”
The collaboration began with consumers’ perception that deciding how to wear clothes they have bought is more difficult than choosing the clothes themselves.
Can a shopping site that displays a large number of products shift toward suggesting outfit combinations?
3-line summary
1. ASOS appointed Law Roach as its Stylist in Residence
2. 68% of consumers said knowing how to wear something is more difficult
3. The key is how outfit suggestions are presented, rather than the number of products
Law Roach Takes on Everything from Campaigns to Magazine Covers
ASOS announced on September 19 that it had appointed Law Roach as its newly created Stylist in Residence. Law Roach is known for styling work for figures including actor Zendaya and singers Celine Dion and Ariana Grande.
His role goes beyond simply recommending specific products. He will participate in creating ASOS’s seasonal campaigns, editorial content, styling content, and culture-related stories, while also influencing trend direction and outfit composition. This is part of ASOS’s strategy to help consumers move beyond choosing products one by one and understand which combinations suit them.
The first issue of the relaunched ASOS Magazine will also feature 6 covers styled by Law Roach. Each cover is connected to an outfit edit completed with products available from ASOS. Maximalist styles, statement tailoring, layering, and styles that reinterpret traditional elements in a contemporary way were presented as seasonal themes.
“How to Wear It” Rather Than “What to Buy”
In a survey commissioned by ASOS, 68% of consumers said that knowing how to wear something is no easier than knowing what to buy. Online shopping has made it easier to search for and compare products, but it does not resolve the challenge of deciding how to connect multiple items—such as a jacket, shoes, and a bag—into a single outfit.
ASOS described this role as a device for showing people how to wear products, rather than adding “more choices.” In the same survey, ASOS also introduced the finding that 92% of online fashion shoppers in the UK aged 18~35 wanted to see complete outfit suggestions.
Because these figures come from a survey commissioned by ASOS, they cannot be regarded as a definitive conclusion about the consumer market as a whole. However, it is clear that this appointment is not limited to advertising centered on the name of a celebrity stylist; it is also an attempt to reduce the choice overload of online shopping through outfit content.
A Concept That Combines AI Recommendations with Human Styling
ASOS has reportedly previously expanded AI-based shopping experiences for finding outfits conversationally, its own AI stylist, virtual try-on, and personalized shopping features. This time, it has also placed the perspective of a human stylist within its creative direction.
The roles of the two approaches are different. Technology can be used to narrow the range of choices based on a large number of products and user preferences, while the collaboration with Law Roach focuses on editing that shapes the impression of an outfit, such as proportions, color, and layering. ASOS said it plans to announce activities connected to London Fashion Week and additional styling projects over the next 1 year, but specific details have not yet been announced.
The point to watch in this change is not the “products recommended by a celebrity” themselves, but the combinations and context in which those products are presented. Whether complete outfit suggestions will actually ease consumers’ decision-making burden in online fashion shopping will become clear through the content released in the future.
References
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